Web-posted Saturday, August 15, 2009
Community to tend garden
Harvest will benefit kids food bank
By Bruce Beck
bruce.beck@amarillo.com

Amarillo Globe-News
The High Plains Food Bank had a bumper crop of volunteers working in the community garden on Friday during the United Way Day of Caring. Volunteers help build and plant the garden at 815 S. Ross St. Rebecca Smithee, from left, Shelley Jones and Randy Fies plant cabbage in the Friday.
The United Way of Amarillo & Canyon drew as many as 500 people to a plot of Amarillo dirt Friday to establish a community garden for its annual Day of Caring.

The High Plains Food Bank's Kids Cafe program is expected to be the initial beneficiary of the agricultural effort, said Zack Wilson, director of public relations and development for the food bank. Plans call for food from the 1-acre community garden to be distributed to feed 1,000 at-risk children per day through Kids Cafe.
The food bank serves more than 165 private and nonprofit organizations, churches, senior citizens centers, child care facilities, halfway houses, soup kitchens and shelters in the Texas Panhandle, Wilson said.
The food bank is collaborating with the United Way of Amarillo & Canyon and the High Plains Institute for Applied Ecology to make the community garden self-sustaining.
The Day of Caring started early for the hundreds who signed up for the morning shift. Registration and breakfast began at 7 a.m., and the opening ceremony designed to fire up volunteers was 30 minutes later at the food bank, 810 S. Ross St. A second wave of volunteers arrived after lunch.
The garden is growing between Eighth and Ninth avenues just off Osage Street, east of the food bank.
"As a society, we're not used to physical labor," said Frankie Francel, executive director of the United Way of Amarillo & Canyon. "So all this is pretty neat."
Teams of volunteers, some who have never tried growing a garden, swarmed over the land that's the size of about two city plots, under the direction of personnel from the High Plains Institute for Applied Ecology.
"This has been an educational experience," said Brandy Reed, who was busy making onion balls and carrot balls, which consist of seed, manure and mud rolled together that were then planted in raised vegetable beds of mulch and grass clippings. Recycled newspaper covered the beds and were soaked with water. The paper will help retain water.
Volunteers erected fences, built raised beds and planted fruit trees and vegetables, including lettuce, turnips, onions, brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, potatoes and broccoli.
"And we're doing it as green as possible," said Gwen Gonzales, co-chairwoman of the Day of Caring.
One example, she said, is planting spices among the rows of vegetables. The aroma of parsley and sage will help keep insects at bay, said Morgan Dezendorf of the High Plains Institute for Applied Ecology.

The community garden is one component of the High Plains Food Bank. Volunteers are needed to sort donated food products and repackage food for distribution. With the community garden in place, volunteers will be needed to weed and water the raised beds of vegetables.

Chores at the garden will be cycled into the High Plains Food Bank's volunteer schedule, said Zack Wilson, director of public relations and development.
To help, call 806-374-8562.
Donations
The High Plains Food Bank is grateful for any food donations, but there are particular needs to be filled. Among the most-needed items are:
Canned vegetables
Canned fruit Canned soups
Canned chili, stews

Dry-good items like Hamburger Helper, boxed macaroni and cheese, rice and pinto beans

Peanut butter

Paper products like toilet paper, paper towels and tissue

Hygiene items like soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste High Plains Food Bank